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A new report has found that ageing carers of adults with a disability worry about what will happen to their dependants when they are no longer able to look after them.

A progress report on the first year of an innovative pilot project, funded by the Australian Government to help older carers plan their futures and those they look after, found that without a clear plan in place a person with a disability may be at risk of overwhelming grief and loss.

Similarly, because of the pressures of caring for a person with a disability, they often find it difficult to plan ahead.

The report of The Positive Futures Project, run by Brisbane South Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre, shows that after becoming involved in the project both carers and their dependants became more positive about the future.

The report gives examples of both carers and people with disabilities expressing gratitude for the opportunity to plan for the future in a safe and supportive environment where they are encouraged to identify and celebrate their strengths and successes.

Participants said the project had brought them a sounding board, empathy and understanding, less isolation, better access to respite and helped with transition to new circumstances. Some said that no one had every helped them in this way before.

Some 32 families with carers aged over 65 took part in the pilot project. They held regular meeting with facilitators who provided them with information about services, work and finances, housing, counselling and personal support.

The project began in 2003 as a trial model with $100,000 in funding through the Australian Government’s National Respite for Carers Program.

If you would like an electronic copy of the full report just send us an email with the words Positive Futures Project in the subject line to probono@probonoaustralia.com.au.

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